What do aloe and bitter melon have in common? Yes, they’re both plants, but both have also been identified as having powerful medicinal effects. New studies show both aloe and bitter melon exert positive effects on diabetes and high blood sugar (hyperglycemia). High blood sugar occurs either when you don’t produce insulin (type 1 diabetes) or your cells don’t respond to insulin properly (type 2 diabetes, which represents 90 percent of patients).